Colorado State football coach Jim McElwain addresses the media on Wednesday about the addition of 29 players to the program, 26 of which signed national letters of intent to play for the Rams.Loveland Reporter Herald Photos

FORT COLLINS — Colorado State’s 22-player high school football recruiting class, announced Wednesday, included six scholarship players and nine overall from Colorado high schools, an indication the program has made progress building its image within the state, said coach Jim McElwain.

“What we’ve been able to create is a buzz,” McElwain said at his afternoon news conference on national letter-of-intent day. “When I first got here, guys, quite honestly my reception was better in different states than it was in Denver, because there’s a certain thought, maybe, or a stigma that stuck in their mind about what this place was all about. What I have found already is guys wanting to jump on board. Where it once was maybe an afterthought, now it’s maybe become a place to be, a point of destination.”

The six in-state players signing national letters with CSU were “athletes” John Freismuth of Loveland and Trey Smith of Douglas County, defensive back Shun Johnson of Denver South, offensive lineman Zach Stefo of Pomona High in Arvada, linebacker Tre Thomas of Aurora’s Overland High and defensive back Marcus Wilson of Aurora and Valor Christian.

In addition, CSU is bringing in three preferred walk-ons from Colorado: long snapper Nathan Lucas of Pine Creek, running back Jalen Williams of Regis Jesuit and kicker Wyatt Bryan of Douglas County.

The Rams’ official recruiting class also included four junior college transfers, three of whom are already enrolled.

The CSU signees included only one quarterback, Coleman Key of Broken Arrow, Okla. Key is 6-foot-4, 215 pounds and threw for 2,228 yards and 29 touchdowns last season. He was also a four-time letterman in baseball and a two-time letterman in basketball.

“I’m excited,” McElwain said. “I’m not trying to hold back on that. He’s a guy that committed to us early. I think out offense fits what he is and what he’s capable of doing. He did a great job of making sure to find a place that was going to really accent his skills.”

There were no major surprises among the signings. As expected, two of McElwain’s coveted “playmakers” — Deionte Gaines, a wide receiver from Orlando, Fla., and running back Deron Thompson from Wichita — signed.

“We really looked to get some explosive playmakers,” McElwain said. “I feel like with some of these guys … Look, you guys are going to want me to anoint some guy as the next great whatever. All right? It ain’t happenin’. It ain’t happenin’.

“We’re excited, and we recruited these guys because they fulfill and met the criteria. They had the opportunity to be successful at whatever position they end up.”

One of the CSU’s most highly regarded recruits, defensive back Jyaz Jones from South Oak Cliff High School, publicly had indicated he planned to attend CSU, then backed off that for a bit to reconsider other schools before signing with the Rams.

“Jyaz comes from a great family,” McElwain said. “I’m excited he decided to come to our family. He knows the value of it.”

CSU’s two recruits from Blue Springs, Mo., played against each other three times in high school. OL Jordan Benson and Blue Springs High — the state champion in 2012 and 2013 — beat LB Josh Watson and Blue Springs South all three times.

DE Silvester Hayes from Dallas’ South Oak Cliff High didn’t play organized football until his junior year. He had 25 sacks as a senior.

Coach Jim McElwain’s three (scholarship) recruiting classes now have included 18 players from Colorado, 12 from Texas and 19 from California.

RB Deron Thompson set Wichita Northwest High School records of 10.58 seconds in the 100 meters and 21.86 in the 200.

A graduate of Wheat Ridge High School and the University of Colorado, Terry Frei has been named a state's sportswriter of the year seven times -- four times in Colorado and three times in Oregon. He's the author of seven books, including the novel "Olympic Affair" about Colorado's Glenn Morris, the 1936 Olympic decathlon champion; and "Third Down and a War to Go," about the 1942 football national champion Wisconsin Badgers and the players' subsequent World War II heroism.

Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson had butterflies before Sunday's game against the Detroit Red Wings. It wasn't because of the big-name opponent, but rather his return from a 13-game injury absence and being stoked to rejoin a team in a playoff push and looking for its third postseason appearance in 10 years.